It is perfectly okay to write garbage—as long as you edit brilliantly. – C. J. Cherry
Everyone who has ever wanted to be a writer has dreamed of seeing her name in a byline. If you’re here reading this, you might be one of them. Maybe you’ve already written your book, or maybe you’re still in the concept phase. In either case, there is hope for you – and it doesn’t necessarily lie in the hands of some random agent or publisher.
In fact, you can take your publishing fate into your own hands pretty easily these days.
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) – The Publishing Solution for Modern Writers
Kindle publishing (KDP) is a wonderful platform for authors to use to get their books out before hungry readers’ eyes. There’s no fee for you to publish and your creation is on a very popular, highly trafficked website filled with buyers.
Read more: How to Get Your Book on the Amazon Kindle Store – Step by Step Guide
Whenever you decide to self publish on Kindle, you want to know a few tips to make the process go smoothly. They range from topic selection to ensuring adequate sales are made over time.
Hack #1: Go In With Your Eyes Open: Understand the Level of Commitment You’ll Be Making
Some people mistakenly believe they can write a quick book and stick it up on Amazon and it will help them earn cash for years to come. If you want to do this right, you have to realize that you need to be committed to promoting this creation.
You won’t have a publishing team or marketing advisors – it all rests on your shoulders. It isn’t hard, and it shouldn’t cost you a fortune, if anything at all – but you can’t just expect people to seek out your book without you getting exposure for it online.
This hack is especially important when considering your topic choices. You don’t want to pick a topic you really have no interest in, just because you think it might make a lot of sales. You’ll be immersed in this topic for awhile, so it needs to be something you enjoy.
Hack #2 – Don’t Worry About Page Count
Some people get so hung up on page count that they find themselves stuck in the middle of their product creation. Here’s all you need to know about page count – Amazon allows it all!
You can have very short creations or extremely long ones. The key is to write what needs to be said. Don’t add a bunch of fluff and filler into the book just to stretch it out because you’ll bore your audience. And don’t scrimp on important details because you feel like it needs to be cut down in size.
Hack #3 – Have Someone Proofread Your Book
You don’t have to be a Pulitzer Prize winner, but if you don’t have a decent grasp of the English language, then it’s nice to have someone spiff up your spelling and grammar so that it doesn’t become an obstacle for your readers.
Hack #4 – Get a Handle on Formatting
Some people are scared to death of formatting on Kindle. They’ve read comments on books with a lower star rating, based solely on the fact that the formatting was a nightmare.
It’s not really that difficult – and to ease your stress, please understand that your Kindle creation can be edited easily, so if there are issues, just fix them. There are tools you can even get now that help you format a Kindle creation with ease.
Hack #5 – Remember: Cheaters Never Prosper (for Long, Anyway)
I’ve got this whole “I need to be a real person who delivers valuable content” thing. For me, being ethical and paying it forward as often as possible offers so many benefits that it seems almost dumb to go any other route.
But still, some unethical teachers suggest to Kindle authors that they buy reviews and fake positive feedback. This is so unnecessary. Your dedicated readers will leave feedback, and you can certainly urge them to share their thoughts on whatever website you link them to in the back of the book, like a blog or Facebook Fan Page, for example.
Hack #6 – How to Get Kindle eBook Reviews the Right Way
There’s nothing wrong with soliciting reviews if you do it correctly. For example, if you utilize the KDP Select free days, you can submit your book to Kindle reader groups on Facebook. Then, as part of your note offering the freebie, you can ask for reviews. Remember: Never ask someone for a five-star review – just say something like “No strings attached, but reviews are always appreciated.” That always works for me.
Of course, if you don’t have a lot of folks who are willing to read and honestly review your books, I can help you with that. Check this out.
So how about you? Have you published to KDP yet? Are you planning on it? How are your books doing so far? Let’s discuss.
